WordPress is the leading content management system - and for many good reasons. One of those reasons is the ease of WordPress management. Simply log into the dashboard, and with a few clicks, you can update plugins, change the theme, or add a new post. However, the problem starts once you have not one but five, ten, or dozens of websites…
Sure, in theory, you could create a multisite. The problem is, if you’re running a multisite, all your websites are connected. Removing a site from a multisite is troublesome - and without doing it, you’ll not be able to flip it. Not to mention that you might simply want to keep things separate.
But, that’s where WordPress management applications come in.
Table of Contents:
1. What Are WordPress Management Applications?
2. Why Do You Need a WordPress Management Application?
3. Top WordPress Management Applications
WPBlazer
ManageWP
Infinite WP
WP Umbrella
MainWP
WP Central
Glow
WP Remote
4. Make Your WordPress Management Easier
1. What Are WordPress Management Applications?
WordPress management applications allow you to perform the same action across multiple websites.
You can create backups, install plugins or update themes on all websites with a single click. Some apps can even automate the update process or protect your site from malware.
Most of the time, you activate them by installing a separate plugin on each of the websites. Once that’s done, you can manage all your websites using a special dashboard.
2. Why Do You Need a WordPress Management Application?
There are many reasons why it’s worth getting a WordPress management application. These include:
- Incredible time savings. The more websites you manage, the more time you save. Even having to log into two or three extra sites is already a very bad use of your time - not to say ten or twenty!
- Higher ROI on your time. Time savings allow you to onboard even more clients (or focus on more projects). This, in turn, increases the profitability of your entire WordPress venture.
- Increased website security. The ease of updating plugins means you’re more likely to keep everything up-to-date. This, in turn, helps secure your website against unsafe plugins or themes. Not to mention that certain applications come with a security layer of their own!
- Better team collaboration. Most WordPress management apps allow you to create a system of permissions. You can add users and grant them access to individual websites and features. This allows you to speed up the work of your entire team.
- No need to host all sites on the same server. Sometimes, it’s smart to keep everything separate - including the servers on which you host your sites. You can host your website wherever you want - and still be able to update them with a click of a button.
Of course, the above list is not exhaustive. Hopefully, it’s more than enough to encourage you to give a management application a try.
3. Top WordPress Management Applications
Choosing a site management app can feel overwhelming. First, the market offers quite a few solid solutions. And, once you pick one, and connect all your websites, making a switch can be very inconvenient.
To help you out - here are the top WordPress management apps.
WPBlazer
When it comes to site management, WPBlazer gives you all you might need from a site management app - and more. First, it allows you to do all the usual stuff: install WordPress, and manage themes, plugins, pages, or posts.
But, on top of mere management features, it also provides two key things every WordPress site owner will benefit from: data and security. In the data department, WPBlazer allows you to perform SEO audits or analyze social signals.
When it comes to security, you get even more. First, the tool allows you to back up all your websites in seconds. Moreover, it can automate all your WP updates and help you monitor website uptime. On top of all that, you can use it to scan your website for malware. A handy feature, considering the importance of WordPress security.
Pros:
- Includes everything you might expect from a site management plugin
- A modern dashboard (recently updated)
- Convenient setup, including deployment and user management
- Built-in security features, including automated backups or malware scanner
Cons:
- Performing certain features (such as website backup) takes some getting used to.
ManageWP
The second in the list, ManageWP, is also the oldest WordPress management plugin. First launched back in 2012, today it’s used to manage almost 1,100,000 websites belonging to 60,000 customers worldwide (and the number keeps growing!).
Its key features include 1-click updates, incremental backups, client reports, and uptime monitoring. On top of that, it allows you to connect all Google Analytics accounts to a single dashboard.
The latter comes in handy if you’re managing client sites, and want to keep them up-to-date on their website. An added benefit is the Sucuri Security Check. The tool can scan your website for malware or check if it got blacklisted.
Pros:
- Easy setup. Create a ManageWP account, add a website, and everything - including plugin deployment - gets done automatically.
- “Safe updates,” which automatically create a restore point, making updating safer than ever.
- Sucuri Security Check, which offers an additional layer of security.
Cons:
- To get the most out of Sucuri Security Check, you need to invest in its premium version.
Infinite WP
Infinite WP is another big player in the website management plugins market. As of 2022, the company boasts its tool is being used to manage over 500,000 websites. It offers six different pricing plans, starting from $147/year all the way to $647/year.
Its core site management features include 1-click updates, backups, and website restore. You can also migrate the site, monitor its uptime, and manage comments. Extra features include a broken link checker or file uploader.
Pros:
- You can buy a so-called “WPDev Bundle”, which offers several additional products. These include WP Time Capsule (incremental backups), WPMerge (database merging), and LocalSync.
- Intuitive dashboard. The tool is one of the easiest and most convenient WordPress management tools out there.
- Advanced client reporting. The pre-made templates help make your reports even more professional.
- Handy integrations with external tools and features. These include iThemes Security, Google Safe Browsing, or WordFence Security.
Cons:
- If you want incremental backups, you need a separate app.
- Slow response time (up to 96 hours on a free plan, and 12 hours on the enterprise one)
WP Umbrella
The next WordPress site management plugin, WP Umbrella, is built with agencies and WooCommerce users in mind. On top of convenient plugin and theme management, it offers several monitoring features, including:
- Website performance and uptime monitoring.
- Monitoring for PHP errors in plugins and themes.
- Health checks for better site performance and SEO.
- Security monitoring.
Compared to other site management plugins, those of WP Umbrella look very comprehensive. All these features help you keep your websites up and running, giving you (and your clients) peace of mind. And, what’s best is that you get all the features already in the first (and only) pricing option that WP Umbrella has!
Pros:
- Robust monitoring features, covering different aspects of one’s website. These come together with helpful email or Slack alerts.
- Honest pricing with a pay-as-you-go pricing plan (you pay $1.99/month per site - no hidden fees).
- No upsells or different pricing plans means you get access to all the features right away.
Cons:
- It lacks more robust site management features. For example, you can’t publish or manage posts or pages.
MainWP
At first glance, MainWP looks similar to other WordPress site management plugins. It gives you all the key 1-click site management features, such as plugin updates or installation. It also allows you to organize your sites, and manage their content and security.
But, most of its features are only available as separate extensions.
In fact, it offers almost 40 extensions that allow you to customize your experience. These include anything from Advanced Uptime Monitor to third-party integrations with popular tools. Sadly, this also means that some of the MainWP key features are reliant on other plugins. But, if you’re already using one of the supported security plugins, you avoid feature overlap.
Pros:
- Plenty (39 as of writing) of different extensions make the tool even more powerful. That number includes four third party extensions.
- Lifetime pricing includes all features and all premium extensions. This can be of huge value, especially to an agency managing dozens or hundreds of websites. Especially that the plan includes lifetime support.
Cons:
- Each MainWP extension is a separate plugin that integrates seamlessly with your dashboard. But, because you need so many plugins, you may feel they clutter your WordPress website.
WP Central
Compared to other WordPress management plugins, WP Central is a much simpler solution. It offers all the basic features you might want from a site management application. These include one-click updates, easy admin access, and plugin and theme management.
Sadly, it lacks some more advanced features (outside of backups). Still, it may be an excellent choice for someone who’s looking for an easy-to-use (and get started with) choice.
Pros:
- Easy to get started with. WP Central is focused on offering core site management features. Thanks to that, it’s very easy to learn and get started with.
- Intuitive design. The plugin offers excellent UX, especially for someone looking for simplicity.
- Competitive free plan. If you need just the basic features like bulk plugin management, you can get them for free. And that's for an unlimited number of websites!
Cons:
- Sadly, the other plans aren’t that competitive (if you compare them with other tools). In the top-level plan, you need to pay $400/year for access to features other tools offer at more affordable rates.
Glow
The next app, Glow, was created specifically for those offering WordPress maintenance services.
They offer three different plans - freelancer, developer, and agency. They all come with white label support, client logins, or even support tickets or team time tracking. The main difference is in the number of users and websites that you can add to the app.
Naturally, the app offers all the standard features of a site management application. These include one-click admin access, bulk updates, or client reports.
Interestingly, Glow was created by a SaaS company experienced in WordPress site maintenance. In the past, managing client WordPress websites was one of their core offers. Thanks to that, they understand the needs of the average person who does maintenance work.
Pros:
- Unique features. The app offers features that are nowhere to be found in other apps. They all come in handy for those who offer WordPress maintenance services.
- Clear target audience. Thanks to that, the entire UI and UX feel created specifically for the ideal client persona.
- Active development. While the tool lacks certain features, it’s in active development. The roadmap and future features look very promising and are sure to turn it into one of the key market players.
Cons:
- A high price tag. The app is more expensive than most similar solutions. The upside is that it offers features that most other apps don’t. However, it also lacks some more advanced maintenance features. This is worth keeping in mind when making a choice.
WP Remote
The last on our list - WP Remote - is a robust WordPress management app with advanced security, staging, and backup features. As such, it’s a great choice for agencies or enterprise clients who manage big, high-value projects.
On top of the usual, it offers automated backups, malware scans, and a real-time firewall. It also gives you access to regression testing, sandbox updates, or staging. The latter is especially useful for big development teams, working on complex projects.
Pros:
- Advanced security and development features. Most of them are not available in other WordPress management apps.
- No limits on website backup sizes. Thanks to high-level infrastructure, you can easily backup sites as big as 300GB (or more)
- Extra-safe offsite data storage. Data is the new oil. Securing it is vital, especially when working on enterprise-grade projects.
Cons:
- High price point. To get access to all the features, you need to pay $999/year - and that’s only for five websites.
Make Your WordPress Management Easier
All the different tools vary in features, price points, and the number of websites you can connect to them. As a result, there’s no one best website management tool. Choosing the right one will depend on your individual needs, and the exact features you need.
However, if you’ve never used a website management tool before, or are looking for one that has all the core features, WPBlazer is there to help. Sign up for our 14-day free trial and start managing WordPress websites the smart way!